A COLA'S tale: An orb took my friend Chapter 2
by Millais
Summary: Okay, here it gets A LOT more cola-ish  oh and by the way thanks for the reviews
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 2: It started with a cheese toasty**

Luckily, I had school the next morning, so I didn't have to stay at home with my dad. As I walked into the classroom, I gave my teacher, Mrs. Wright, my absence note. School followed pretty normally, with me and my best friends Alice and Frankie hanging out together. As if nothing happened yesterday.

When I got home, I made myself a cheese toasty, and watched the clock, begging it to go slower. _Only 5 minutes till Dad and Anna get home._ I thought. _Better get upstairs._ But before I could throw my plate in the dishwasher, I paused. I had just felt the earth shake. I shook my head, convincing myself that it must just be because I was tired. I ran upstairs to my bedroom, pausing to brush my teeth. I had no intention of coming back down again. As I switched of my light, I yelped. My floor had shaken again, knocking my cactus plant onto my leg. Note to self: Move the cactus. As I pulled out the long green needles, I knew I couldn't have imagined this.

But if I didn't imagine it, then the tremors must be real.

I quickly picked up: _**MY BOOK OF TREMORS AND EARTHQUAKES.**_ I flicked through, and then found the page I was looking for. It read:

_A tremor may feel like the earth is shaking beneath you, but this is actually a sign for something even worse to come. An earthquake. The earthquake can... _

I stopped reading; my senses were on high alert.

There was going to be an earthquake.

I was the only one aware of this in my household.

And we might die.

At this last statement, my train of thought was suddenly lost. I felt very sleepy. Before I lost consciousness, I remembered something about my cacti. It used to be used as a painkiller, sending patients to sleep.

My last conscious thoughts slipped away...

Through the thick layer of haze that clouded my mind, I knew something was burning. I could smell it. Groggily, I opened my eyes. I was squished into a small crevasse, about as wide as a ruler, and as tall as a toaster. Ahead of me, I saw a cosy little fire roaring ahead of me. Wait a sec. ROARING? Suddenly, a thought that had been nagging me since I woke up bounded into my concentration: _You are trapped under rubble from an earthquake, and your dad might be dead all because you fell asleep, you lazy girl. _Suddenly, I heard someone screaming. My dad. I looked up. There was only a small gap in my concrete prison, were I could see the night sky. I tried pushing against the rubble, but it was too heavy. I was trapped.

All of a sudden, I felt a force come to the front of my forehead, and suddenly all the debree was floating up around me. I paused. This did not happen in real life. I must be dead. But, I didn't have time to be completely weirded out, because I heard my father scream again. I raced through the rubble, and saw him, his car tipped over. I noticed his leg was trapped under a huge slab of concrete. He was hugging Anna, as if he knew he was going to die. Anna was looking desperate. The fire came closer, the Indigo sparks seemingly laughing, taunting this frail puny human.

Suddenly, a lump of rock fell off the ceiling, heading for their heads. I don't know how, or why, but the strange, powerful force popped up again, and the piece of rock floated slowly toward the ground. Anna fainted. The fire came closer. I knew I had to save my Dad. I quickly summoned the strange force, and gathered it up with enough energy to move the huge slab of concrete. Gravity fought against me, trying to bring the concrete back onto my dad. Beads of sweat appeared on my upper lip, and a small river of blood ran down my nose. The pain was excruciating, it was ten times worse than a migraine, but somehow I managed to free my dad.

He ran over to me, hugging me and asking loads of questions, but the syllables seemed to slur into each other. I could no longer see him; the world was just a blur. I knew I was going to faint when a sound like a rushing tap filled my head. My knees started to buckle, and I could taste my blood.

Then the world went dark.


	2. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Meet Mr. Hind**

Through the fog that clouded my mind, I heard someone talking. "...she took a huge knock on the head, just after she MOVED the slab off my leg with her"- The man's voice cut off, and a serious, more patronizing voice stepped in. "Mr. Parker, you took a serious knock to the head, and your claims just aren't scientifically possible. Its foolishness to think"-

"I know what I saw"! Hissed my dad. Then I heard heavy footsteps moving towards me and two hands on my shoulder. "Georgie, can you hear me"? I mustered up enough strength to give a nod, and open my eyes.

When my eye's finally focused, I saw I was in a very big, white room, with brilliant lights everywhere. My head pieced itself together enough for me to realise I was in a hospital ward. My dad was staring at me, his eyes full of concern. Behind him, a doctor with russet coloured skin and dark shaved hair was tutting. "Mr. Parker, it isn't wise to give her too much excitement; she is out of the worse, but"- The doctor cut-off after he saw my dad's face. "I'll leave you two alone then" he stuttered, backing away.

The next half an hour was probably the strangest of my life. Dad asked me to do the 'floaty thing' again, but my head hurt too much. "What now" I finally asked, "I can't go back to a 'normal life' if I can do the floaty thing"!

Dad grinned, and reached into his pocket and brought out a letter. "A man, I think his name was Mr. Hind or something, dropped this in for you an hour ago. In fact, he's waiting in the lobby for us". My blood ran cold. I don't know why, but it felt like my life was going to get a whole lot weirder.

The first thing that struck me about Mr. Hind was his eyes. They looked as if they had seen things, terrible things, but somehow that made them more compassionate. The colour reminded me of polar ice caps, and tranquil blue seas. His dark hair was cropped at the top, and he looked like he had been on a permanent vacation, his skin was so tanned and weather beaten. He shook our hands, and then started talking rubbish about how I was 'special'. Throughout his speech, he seemed to be scrutinising me. It was unnerving.

He finally got to the point, and asked my father's permission to take me to Fenton lodge, a place for 'special' children to develop their 'abilities'. Dad shot me a glance that said: _Well, do you want do go?_ Mr. Hind coughed. I thought about it. There was no way I could go back to my old life after last night. But I was a bit unsure about going to a new school, 2 weeks before I ended the school year at Winston high. But every fibre in my body was urging me to say yes, like it was my fate. Like it was meant to be.

"Yes" I blurted out. Mr. Hind grinned. "Right then", Mr. Hind said, "why don't you and me just talk about arrangements, and your activities, on our own for a sec", he asked, looking at dad hopefully. Dad shrugged, and gave me a look that said, _any trouble and you just shout, ok? _I rolled my eyes at him, and nodded. He gave Mr. Hind a brisk nod, and walked out the door.

"So, you may be wondering why you are going to this school" began Mr. Hind. I nodded, playing along. "Georgia, I know what you can do" he said suddenly, he eyes boring into me. "Do it, we have to be sure you are a COLA to let you into Fenton lodge". He must have seen the look on my face, because he said; "I'll explain everything later, I promise, just wait a sec..." he dug around into his pocket, and then unearthed a pen. "Float this; make it float with your mind". I stared at him, my blood running cold. He knew. But how? I was just about to protest that he must be crazy, and my head hurt too much, when I suddenly felt the strange force press against my forehead. Without realising, I lifted the pen out of his hand, and spun it round his chest. He gaped at me, amazed. Then he grinned, and said; "Show off, though I know you are better than that, I know you lifted the slab of concrete... amazing, you're better than all of the other telle's..." he trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. Just then, my dad and my doctor strolled in.

"Well Miss. Parker, you are free to go, your test results have come back fine, oddly..." the doctor trailed off, and I heard Mr. Hind cough suspiciously. He turned to leave, giving very formal goodbyes. "Mr. Hind", I asked. He turned round. "Yes" he said, raising an eyebrow. "When will I next see you"? I replied. "Tomorrow, when you're leaving for the Lodge. And by the way, my names Owen, Owen Hind". Then he left, leaving me gaping at the doorway...


	3. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The COLA project **

I stared at all the little crystal like drops, running down the car window. It was so strange. I was leaving. For good. The words sent a fizz of energy down my spine. Just this time yesterday [wait, 3 days ago, because I was under for two days], I was talking with my best friends about homework. Maybe I'll e-mail them, I thought. But are you allowed to write letters to people outside of Fenton lodge? That made me uneasy. I quickly put on capital FM. I recapped what was happening, so I knew it wasn't a dream.

I was driving with my dad over to a McDonalds, where Owen and the SG's [Security Guards] were waiting to put me in their vehicle and drive the half hour to Fenton lodge, across 5 miles of countryside. It made me feel valued, that they wanted me safe so much. Or, I thought suddenly, they wanted OTHER people to be safe, from ME? That almost made me burst out laughing. Me? Georgia? Dangerous? But maybe I was. Maybe I could be-

I was suddenly cut off by a huge whirring noise above me. It looked just like...Wait a second? A helicopter! The huge military helicopter flew down beside the car, and who stepped out... Owen Hind. This was way too drastic! I can't believe the military would make all this effort to protect ME!

As Owen stepped out, his hair caught the sun, making it gleam like crazy. He was wearing a white and blue jacket and jeans, which made him, look oddly stylish, even though he was- I squinted at him- 45 years old?

I stepped out of the car, and was suddenly being crushed by my dad, hugging me tightly. "I'll visit you" he promised. "Me and Anna and the new baby". I almost laughed. Three days ago, this would have made me livid, but now, it made me kind of sad. I hoped the baby didn't turn out to be just like Anna. It would need a big sister to help it. Owen walked over, grinning.

"Sorry Mr. Parker, but were ten minutes over schedule, and I need to host the Illusionist matches. Dad nodded, and then gave me a kiss on my head. "Prove the Parkers proud Georgie. Prove your family proud", he whispered.

And as I got into the helicopter, I swear I heard my mother laughing...

"Okay, I demand answers", I announced to Owen. He sighed noisily. "Right", he began, "you are a COLA, which stands for Children Of Limitless Ability, and your ability is Telekinesis". I took in that. Telekinesis. It seemed to roll off my tongue. "Carry on", I said expectantly. Owen nodded, and then continued. "I am Owen Hind, part of the COLA project. I guess you want to know the history of it"? He looked at me, and I nodded. "Okay then, let's start" he began. I leaned over in my seat, expectantly, with bated breath.

"The COLA project was created 4 years ago, when a group of children doing amazing things- such as disappearing, healing, getting messages from beyond the grave, making people see stuff that isn't actually there, and moving stuff with their minds – were discovered". Owen turned round to see how I was doing so far. I managed a weak attempt at a smile. "So", he continued, "we gathered them all up in a top secret school- much like the one you are going to now, actually- and a couple of...err... bad events occurred". I shivered. Could they be anything to do with my dream?

Owen noticed my sudden shiver, and turned to face me. "What's the matter" he asked, concern spelt all over his face. I hesitated, not really sure if I should tell him.

"A year ago, I kept having dreams about"- I paused and gulped, starting to remember those dark, scary nights- "about a huge wave, drowning, and a girl with black hair, yanking my tongue out, and then a boy, as a falcon, and lots of spinning, terrible pains in my arms, then a burning sensation, a smile, a letting go of fingers, and then falling, the cold, and.. and..." I stopped, the horror of those dreams making my throat clench up. I looked at Owen. His face was clenched up in horror. I started crying, remembering the dreams.

"Does it mean I've gone mad" I asked him. He shook his head, and then stared at me, making notes on a dark blue notepad. I tried to peek, but he whisked it into his pocket before I could. "No, in fact it might be because you have some psychic ability, I just was caught of guard. You know the part with the smile, and the letting go of fingers, and the... and the falling? Well, that was me, about two years ago; I faked death to get out of the COLA club. But when I heard the 'new' batch of COLAS had been discovered, I had to return, which was a bit difficult to explain, to say the least". He chuckled.

I stared at him. _Wow_, I thought, _this man had been through a lot. And what does he mean by the 'second batch'. So this has happened before? _ But as I was just getting used to this, he sprung another thing on me.

"Right", he announced, "your dorm is ... Oooh, room 45, lucky magic, as it has been called." He laughed. "You're 'lucky', get it, it's the best room if you like breathtaking views of the lake in the morning and sunset. Ah, wait a second"- he rummaged in a file, then took out a sheet of paper- "your dorm mates are... Morgan, Jessica and Autumn".

Before I could react, the driver in front turned round and said; "We will be landing in two minutes". I quickly scrambled about for my bag, checking for any items that may have fallen out.

As I rummaged through, I noticed something like an envelope in there. Maybe it was the one I was looking at before all this happened?

On the front it had written: _Baby's first photo._ Inside was a fuzzy black and white picture. Underneath in Anna's elegant script was written:

_**IT'S**__**A**__**BOY**_**!** Lot'so love from all of us; and your dad, me and baby wish you luck. I thought you should choose his name. How about Ben?

Or Liam? Love from,

Jeanne. Xxxxoooo

I could feel my eyes well up with tears. Owen turned round, and I showed him the letter. He gave a soft smile. "Well, maybe they can book a date at the cabins" he asked. I smiled, and put the envelope away. Then we both felt a bump as we were landing. I peered out the window, and then gasped.

"Yep, we have arrived", said Owen, "welcome to the COLA club"...


	4. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Welcome to your new home**

I stood at the door of Fenton lodge, my mouth wide open in shock. I still couldn't get over the majesty of it. The old converted summer house stood proud and tall, the lake behind it bright orange from the setting sun. As I walked inside, I was shocked at how modern it was. The huge hallway led into a library, with thousands and thousands of books. Down the corridor was something that looked like a games room, and out across a porch looked like- I squinted- a big adventure playground?

Owen leaned over, and gave me a wry smile. "How do you like it so far"? He asked me. I laughed; a happy, light sound that filled the massive hallway. "Like it" I yelled at the ceiling, "I love it"! For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged somewhere, that I was in the right place. Owen smirked. "Let's not get too excited, or you won't fall asleep at all" he laughed.

Five minutes later I was heading toward my dorm. "How many COLA's are living here at Fenton lodge", I asked, intrigued. Owen paused for a moment. "About one hundred and sixty nine, including the older COLAS, who came here four years before you sixty younger one's arrived" he answered. I thought about that for a moment, and then asked, "Will we ever see the older ones"? Owen turned towards me, and roared with laughter. "See them, are you kidding?" he asked, "They share the same canteen, you will see them in the corridors every day, they even will, on occasion, appear in your Development sessions, as part of a support system. By the time you've settled in, you will have had enough of them". He chuckled to himself.

I smiled, liking the idea of these elder COLA's, who know how it feels to be- I struggled for a word- Different. We turned the corner, and I realised I was at my dorm. The door was a light pink and daffodil yellow. Owen opened the door and I stepped inside. The first thing I realised was that I could smell lavender. Just then I noticed the sign that was written on the door:

Lucky magic, Room 45

I opened my eyes, sleep still clinging to me like a limpet. For a moment, I didn't know where I was, but when the soft smell of lavender tickled my nose I remembered. I was in the COLA club. I was a telekinesis freak. And I was now sharing a dorm with three girls who I didn't even know. Weird.

The room was painted white and sky blue, and was actually pretty big. I swung my legs off the mattress and wandered around. Outside the window was the blue, tranquil lake that seemed to teem with life. There were some teens playing with a- I frowned -a fox? Then I almost fell over in disbelief.

The fox had just turned into an otter.

No, the otter had just turned into a falcon.

Then the falcon changed into a grinning boy with thick brown hair. The other teenagers were doubling up with laughter. I left the window, feeling too faint to keep watching.

This was unreal.

But, I realised with a pang of sadness, it wasn't real. This was all just some brilliant, brilliant dream.

Just then, I noticed a rustling beside me. I turned round, and then remembered my dorm mates. The girl closest to me looked pretty normal, with shiny dark red hair tied up in a huge plait, curling round her shoulder.

I could see she liked Top of the Pops magazine, because there was a huge stack of them under her bed. I turned towards my own bed, very plain, not showing anything about my personality at all. I opened my bag, and took out my envelope of my mom. I found an empty frame under my bed, and put the photo in that. I placed the frame on my bedside cabinet, and then sighed with happiness. Suddenly, I yawned, and checked my watch. _5:00 in the morning! ,_ I thought to myself,_ Way too early for a weekend_!

I jumped back into bed, and stared at the picture of my mum, baby me and dad, all happy as a family, and no weird things in my life, such as Telekinesis.

Then I fell into a gentle sleep...


	5. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: I share a dorm with 3 girls I don't know**

"...and he didn't recover after that incident". I heard as I woke up. Another voice spoke, one so angelic I began to drool. "Don't be so hard on him" the angel spoke, "he was just very nervous". There was a loud snort. "Nervous, oh please, he was literally wetting his pants"! I sat up, gasping with laughter, and was faced by two girls. One of them was the one I saw last night, but I didn't really pay attention to her. Next to her was the angel, with soft brown eyes, dark hair and a beautiful smile. I didn't realise I was staring, until the girl next to her snorted with laughter.

"Oh dear, Autumn, another person who will follow you around for the next week", she said, rolling her eyes. I glared at her, stung. Then the angel, who I then knew was Autumn, spoke up. "Don't be so mean, Jess, it's happened to you". I smiled a thanks' at Autumn, but it probably looked like a mad grin. Just then, another girl woke up, and gave a tired groan. "Keep it down over there, I'm trying to sleep", she grumbled. Jess laughed, and yelled back, "Okay Morgan, but we are just welcoming the new girl". Morgan literally rushed over to my bed with inhuman speed, her blonde hair sticking up like it had been electrocuted. When she grinned at me, her blue eyes sparkled.

"Have no fear; I am here to save you from this boring conversation" she announced, grabbing a towel from the bathroom and holding it behind her like a cape, "Captain Morgan to the rescue"! She grabbed my hand, and pulled me up, but we both fell over. Then everyone started laughing.

Suddenly, there was a knock at our door, and I walked over to open it. It was one of the teenagers I had seen near the lake earlier that morning. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes and was fashionably dressed. She looked like she had just walked out of an advert for a beauty product.

"What's all the racket about, I was trying to sleep" she growled. I was just about to answer, when she suddenly whipped her head round, and glared down the corridor at something I couldn't see. "But it's not if I COULD with the racket YOURE MAKING" she yelled. Then she sighed, shaking her head.

I stared at her, confused. What made her hate me so much? She must have noticed my face, because then she said; "It's not you, it's this OVERGROWN potato farmer who is trying to warn me about losing a coca cola, LIKE I CARE" she started to yell again at the empty corridor. I stared. Then she saw my face and sighed. "I'm a Medium, which means I can talk to the dead, and various other things. Believe me, it may sound cool but it isn't, they don't EVER leave you alone". I just stood there, shocked at her words. It sounded like a hard life. She turned and sighed at the corridor, then said; "Okay, okay, I'll tell them". She looked at me, and repeated:

"Something about losing a Cola drink, I think. Then there's something about the autumn coming to help, and the cold of ice, and burning, terrible burning" she yawned, starting to walk away. But just before she walked round the bend, she added; "I think it was just something about a burnt hot dog", then she stormed off, still cursing the poor spirit.

I turned around to my Dorm mates, and then shrugged. "Don't know what that was, think she's got it pretty hard though", I said, smiling. Just then, a bell rang, and Autumn told me that it meant breakfast was in 10 minutes. I felt quite ashamed at the lack of stylish clothes I possessed, when looking at the others. Morgan was wearing brown and white clothes, with a brown sleeveless jacket, that was all fluffy inside and on the hood, brown jeans, and woolly ugg boots. Jess was wearing jeans and a black shirt, and Autumn was wearing a purple dress. I wore my old Brighton T-shirt and grey sweats.

On the way down to breakfast, Morgan popped the question I could tell she'd been wondering since she met me. "So, ermm... So what do you do Georgia"? She asked. I sighed. "I'll show you" I replied. I looked around for something for me to lift, and then spotted the waste paper bin. I lifted it up with my mind, imagining my power as a glittering purple ribbon, and then made it do cartwheels, and all the rubbish started to do the waltz on the floor. My friends gasped, and Autumn looked like she was about to faint. "Wow, a telekinetic, awesome" exclaimed Morgan. I looked at her, and then asked her, "Well, what's your power, is it the same as mine"?

Morgan looked at me, and then grinned. Jessica moaned. "Don't encourage her, she goes on for ages", she grumbled. "I do not" insisted Morgan. She took a deep breath, and then stared at a point next to my arm. Suddenly, a parrot was there, making rude noises and flapping its wings at me. I looked over at Morgan, who was now starting to sweat a bit. "Wow" I exclaimed.

Morgan smiled, and the parrot disappeared. "Cool, huh" she said, looking at me hopefully. I gave her a high five, and we talked about what she was, which is an 'Illusionist', in the line of glamour. I asked her what the others did. "Well", Morgan began, "Autumn is a healer, which means she can heal and take away your pain" I gaped at Autumn, who turned away, embarrassed. "And Jess, over here, she can read your mind" said Morgan, wiggling her fingers and making ghost noises. Jessica shoved her, but then had to laugh.

"So, are there other Telle's, like me"? I asked hopefully. Jess patted me on the shoulder. "Oh yes, oh yes" she spoke like an advert for a soon- to- be released action blockbuster. Just then we turned the corner, and I could see a hall filled with children. As we walked into the dining hall, my nose was greeted by about a thousand different smells; egg, bacon, sausages, baked beans, cereals, toast and even chocolate milk. My mouth started watering.

Morgan beamed. "Ahhh, meal times, the best part of the day" she announced, already heading for the food carts. Jess rolled her eyes. "We haven't even found a space yet, Morgan, how can you be so hungry" she asked. But Morgan was already pilling food onto her plate.

I grinned. "Why don't we join her"? I asked, grabbing a plate and looking hopefully at the others. Jess sighed, but agreed with me. I ran over to the full English cart and literally spooned five of everything onto my plate. I guess all this clean, natural air had given me a massive appetite.

I turned round to Autumn, and offered her the sausage tray. She shook her head. "No thanks" she replied, "I don't eat meat" I shrugged and spooned more sausages onto my plate. Morgan ran over, her face literally shadowed by her mountain of food. I stared. "How can you eat all that" I asked in awe. Morgan tapped the side of her nose, raising her eyebrow. "It's a trade secret" she replied mysteriously. I sat down on our table, and Morgan sat next to me. I looked around, and noticed that group of teenagers again. "Who are they"? I whispered to Jess, who was sitting opposite us with Autumn. She turned to see who I was looking at, then replied; "Oh, they are the 'true eleven' of the older COLA'S, when all the other COLA'S lost their powers, they were all that's left". I gulped. "Did the other COLA'S get their powers back"? I asked. Jess nodded. "It took a couple of years though, in fact, some are coming back just this week" she told me, with a serious face.

After breakfast, Morgan gave me an exclusive tour of the lodge. "Over here is where sports matches are held" she announced, sweeping her hand across a lush green field. I nodded, making a note of that in my head. "And here" she continued, gesturing towards a huge hall "is where the Friday night youth club and disco is held" I grinned to myself. I loved youth clubs, they always had air hockey, my favourite game. This place was awesome!

As the morning turned into afternoon, we came to the end of our tour, and Morgan suggested we go into the games room. I agreed, picturing a room full of Xbox's, Wii's, and TV's. But as I entered the games room, there were no video games; they were all games like a Poole table, snooker, and air hockey, which was actually pretty good. "Where are the TVs, and the Xbox's, and the video games" I asked Morgan. She smiled at me. "With all the 'supernatural' activity going on, it messes' up the signals, so they took all the cool stuff out, but they left the T.V" she beckoned towards a big T.V; where lots of children were huddled round watching it. I spent the rest of the day in there, talking to some of the other COLA'S. Only then did it hit me how amazing these children were.

There was a group of girls hovering in the air about a foot, and next to them some teenagers were doing a strobe lighting effect, by flashing in and out of view. Some Telle's were making forks have a swordfight, and Morgan was showing off her Illusions. There was even that shapeshifting boy I saw by the lake teaching a couple of younger COLA'S how to shapeshift really quickly.

I smiled to myself. This was where I belonged...


	6. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: One heck of a day**

The next morning, I put on my new uniform, which was chocolate and orange. Ughh. "I really wish we could wear our own clothes" I said to Morgan as we made our way down to history. She shrugged. "I guess, but you don't really have anything that good to wear" she replied. I grimaced, remembering that awful Brighton T-shirt I wore yesterday.

As I sat at my desk, I wondered if the teacher knew about what her students could do. But just then, there was a loud bang, and Scott bailey stood up, yelling out words in a completely different voice from his own. He staggered around, and as he passed my desk, I saw eyes had turned completely white. I shuffled back a bit. Mrs. Davies quickly picked up the phone, speaking in an urgent voice. A while later, a nurse hurried in and took Scott to the infirmary. But by next period he was back, looking completely normal.

After lunch, I looked at my timetable and realised I had a double lesson next: Development. I had no idea what that was, but before I could ask, the bell rang, and I rushed downstairs, trying to find M6. After five minutes of searching, I found it and walked inside. It was surrounded by mirrors, and there was a group of children sitting on the soft grey carpet. A tall man with thick blonde hair was smiling at me. "Hi" he grinned; "I'm Mark, and I'm your telekinetic instructor" I nodded, noting that in my mind. "Thanks, but what is Development"? I asked, looking round uneasily.

He beckoned towards the huddle of children, who were all staring at me intently. "Development is a place where you can hone your skills, and this class is for telekinetic's" Mark replied. I nodded again, showing that I understood. Then he turned to me, smiling, and asked: "Shall we begin".

The next hour was definatly in my top 5 weird moments. We had Telle competitions, like who can float the football for longest, which I won easily. Then there was a game of golf- using our telekinetic abilities, of course- basketball, snooker, tennis and fencing, all of them I won with ease. I was surprised to know that Mark actually wasn't a Telle, but a dowser.

Over the next four weeks, I started to settle into being in COLA club. Things that would have made me stop and stare on my first days, like floating children, now made me only shoot an amazed glance, then carry on with whatever I was doing. Me, Morgan, Autumn and Jess became best friends, and did everything with each other. I felt complete, for once in my life.

On my fourth week, I had my psychic ability test. "Go on" encouraged Morgan, as we were waiting outside the Head's office, "I know your some kind of psychic, you found my maths book, remember". I nodded, remembering the dream I had told her about, with the bright blue book falling behind her bed. Just then, the head's door opened, and out came a middle aged woman. I don't know why, but I started shivering.

The Head stared at me, her grey eyes seeming to move and shift. She had thin auburn hair which was tied into a bun, and thick rimmed glasses. She smiled at me. "Ah, mon chere, you have come at last" she said, reaching for my hand. I looked at Morgan, confusion all over my face.

The Head finally got my hand, and then closed her eyes. When our hands met, a strange sensation, a bit like an electric shock, ran up my arm. I gasped. Finally, after about a minute, she let go. I gasped again, flapping my arm to get rid of the pins and needles sensation. I noticed the head was holding a leaflet for the BBQ near the lake. The Head gaped at me.

"You" she said, "are a psychic, but mostly through dreams" I stared at her, and Morgan made a low whistling sound. "So she can tell, like, the future and stuff" asked Morgan, her eyes wide with excitement. The head laughed. "Oh, mon chere, how you do make me laugh. Yes, she can tell the future and find things through dreams, but some visions will appear while she is still awake" the Head replied. She then turned away, and started to walk through her door. But just then she turned round and said "Oh, mon chere, my name is Mrs. Sartre, so please call me that" then shut her door.

Morgan grinned at me, and made a ghost noise. "Woooo, you can tell the future" she whispered. I shoved her, but had to laugh. I was in a bit of shock. I mean, it's not every day you find out you can tell the future, is it?

That night, I was looking forward to the bonfire display, created completely by the illusionist's. It was being held on the sports field, and the sky was clear enough to see the stars. I wandered through the mass of excited children, looking for Morgan in the group of illusionist's gathered on stage, warming up quickly. She was so proud to be there, and she even had her own solo illusion. I squeezed in beside Jessica and Autumn, who were chatting to two boys, about our age. Jess turned round to face me. "Hi Georgia, meet Finn and Michael" she said, gesturing towards the two boys.

Finn, a tall boy with tufty dark hair, green eyes and a rugged smile, suddenly started to laugh out loud, his eyes filling up with tears. "Oh, Jess, you're going to be the death of me one day" he laughed. Jess frowned. "What did I do" she asked. He sighed, trying to calm down. "You just gave out the most pungent scent of excitement I have ever smelt" then he laughed, going into hysterics again. "You just did it again" he shrieked, burying his head in his friends shoulder. For the first time, I took in the appearance of this other boy. He was quite small, with curly blonde hair and baby blue eyes, framed by spectacles. He looked at me and gave me a smile, and then went back to staring at the stars. Just then Finn recovered, and we all started talking.

_I wonder how he can smell emotions_, I thought, _I wonder what it's like... _Jessica answered my question straight away, like she had read my mind, which was probably true. "In answer to your question, Finn is a shapeshifter, though a pretty rubbish one" she added with a grin, "and Michael over here is a medium and a glamourist, the vanishing kind". "Wow" I said simply.

Suddenly, a huge boom shook the arena, and everyone started to cheer as multicoloured flames licked the sky. On the stage, the illusionists were all staring with great concentration at the display, Morgan's face among them. The orange and gold flames danced across the black sky, illuminating the astounded faces of the audience. A while later, Morgan stepped to the front, and began her solo. A huge red and green parrot flew among the stars, and swooped so low that I felt I could have touched it, if it had been real. I smiled, remembering that parrot on my first day. The show carried on for one more hour, and then it was time for the competitions.

"Okay" began Owen Hind; standing on the illusionist's stage, "the winner of the raffle is..." he paused to take a ticket out of the bucket, the ruffling noises actually heard because the field was so quiet, "Autumn Ferns". Autumn looked at me, her face agog with amazement, oblivious to the groans of disappointment around her. "I...I won" she gasped. "Go on then" I said, helping her up. She dodged all of the audience's legs, and finally made it onto the stage. Owen smiled at her. "And here is our winner, whose prize is a week with five friends in our Spanish retreat". He bellowed out the announcement, unaware of how self-conscious Autumn was looking.

She returned back to her seat, and I, Jessica, Michael, Finn and Morgan [who had just returned] started congratulating her. "I will take all of you to the retreat with me" Autumn announced, literally glowing with happiness. I smiled, and took in the picture of my new life, a dark sky illuminated by one last firework, and me and my new friends all happy together, surrounded by the amazing students of Fenton lodge. But all that was to change.

Suddenly, Michael dropped to the floor, and started retching and convulsing. Finn ran over to him, and checked his breathing. "Michael, Michael" he yelled, shaking his shoulders. Michael shuddered and threw up over Finn. Morgan looked around for a teacher. "Help" she bellowed. By this time, everyone around us had noticed the fuss and were huddling round, and someone had run over to a Teacher. "What's happening" I yelled at Finn. Finn looked up. "He's having a vision... Hey, Autumn" he waved Autumn over to Michael. "Can you help him" he pleaded, starting to cry. Autumn nodded. Just then, Michael started coughing and gasping. "Read...my...my...mind" he gasped at Jess, before he threw up again.

Jess started to read him. All of a sudden she fell backwards, and I managed to catch her. Just then, some of the teachers, including the school nurse, started running over. Jess suddenly stood up, perfectly normal again, but her eyes were wide with fear. "There is going to be a fire, from a comet or something in..." she screwed up her face, trying to remember, "two minutes" she announced this like a death sentence. I gulped. "We've got to warn the teachers" I panicked. "There isn't time" she whispered, staring at the sky,

"Brace for Impact".


	7. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Brace for impact**

The huge ball of fire was shooting towards us, its flames illuminating the terrified faces of the teens below. "Everybody to the development chambers" yelled Owen Hind, carrying a stretcher, "hurry, hurry". I ran along to the door, holding it open for everybody. "Get in, quick" I urged at the mass of kids. Just then, I noticed something in the corner of the field. _Finn!_ I thought, _he must have collapsed when he saw the meteorite._

I ran over to him, and put him in the recovery position. "What..." he mumbled. "Help" I yelled out. I heard footsteps behind me. "Finn" Michael shouted, limping over to him. Jess, Morgan and Autumn arrived too. "What are you doing here, you could get killed" I hissed. "Duh? We're helping you" Jess replied, sarcastic even in this situation. "Umm... you might want to know that the Meteorite is very, very close now" Morgan squeaked, looking up. "Oh well" I replied, "We still have a few minutes". Jess stared above me. "More like a few seconds" she gulped. I turned around, and then stopped.

Suddenly, a huge boom shook the earth, and sent us flying. I hit the ground hard, landing on my shoulder. I grimaced in pain, and then saw the destruction. The whole field was ablaze, and a whole wall of the lodge was demolished, the rubble flying everywhere. There was no sign of the other COLA'S and staff. _Hopefully they got to safety in time,_ I thought.

I looked around. All of my friends were sprawled around, in similar expressions of pain as me. I tried to lift myself up to get to them, but collapsed, writhing in agony. My shoulder was sticking out weirdly, leaving my left arm floppy and useless. I saw Autumn hobbling over to me, and then a cool relief as she started healing me. I jumped up, amazed that I now felt no pain, and started to help the others away from the encroaching fire. Just then, I noticed something. "Where's Jess" I asked Michael. He frowned. "I have no idea" he told me, then winced and held his chest. Finn stood up, his ear bleeding heavily. "We need to get to safety quickly so we can find her" he told me. I shook my head. "I'll stay here, you go on and get to safety" I said. Morgan ran over, her arm bleeding. "No, you'll die" she yelled. "Go, I'll be fine" I lied.

Morgan nodded, slowly. "Okay, but if you die, I'll never forgive you" she warned, and then struggled off towards the lodge. I started to search the area, painfully aware of how close the fire was getting. I was starting to feel weaker. Only until I looked down did I realise why. My leg had been cut open, and lots of blood was gushing out. I suddenly realised that if it didn't stop bleeding soon, I would probably die. I limped over to the hall, which luckily wasn't far. Inside was a basic medical kit. After bandaging myself up, I decided to take the whole kit with me, just in the case of Jess being injured when I found her. With a sudden pang of realisation, I had the terrible thought of not finding Jess, or at least not until it was too late. I shook my head. _Think positive_, I thought.

I ran over to where she had been before the Meteorite had crashed, and then stopped. On a bush nearby, was a tiny snag of Jess's top, wet with fresh blood. I sunk down to my knees, crying at the sky, now covered with smoke and ash. _Why her_, I asked, _why not me? _Suddenly, a bright light cut through the smoke, and I turned away because it was hurting my eyes. Now, I wasn't religious, but at this point I was seriously starting to think this was some kind of god or deity who was going to trade my life for Jess's. I tried to run away, but I was frozen to the spot. Still, I knew I had to take a look at the thing that would kill me.

I carefully looked up, shielding my eyes. There was a huge golden orb floating towards me, forming light that turned red as I watched. Just as I thought it couldn't get any weirder, it shot out a plume of pure light, so blinding that I yelled out in pain. The light started to move towards the bush, and I quickly ran over to grab that bit of Jess's top, then dived out the way as the light hit the bush, causing it to explode. Suddenly, there was a rustling, and the light retreated, carrying a body. I didn't realise if it was alive or dead until it started screaming in terror. I froze. I knew that scream all too well.

Jess turned around, trying to grab something, when she spotted me. "Help" she yelled. I tried to pull her back with my telekinesis, but the orb was too strong. I collapsed onto the grass, panting for breath. The last thing I saw Jess do was give me a despairing look, and then she disappeared, moments before the whole orb went too. Just before I blacked out, something fell beside me. I only had time to tuck it into my pocket before I fell into unconsciousness.

The fire closed in...


	8. Chapter 8 part 2

The little girl smiled at me, cocking her head to the side, causing her long blonde hair to sway in the breeze. I stepped towards her, and my feet sunk slightly into the fluffy white ground below me. "Who are you" I asked. The girl leapt into the air, and let out a mischievous giggle. "You know me Georgia, we're best friends remember" she replied. I gave her an angry look. "I'm sorry, but I really can't remember you" I repeated crossly. She turned away from me, and started to cry. I felt a pang of guilt. I screwed up my face, trying to remember her. The long blonde hair. The mischievous giggle. The slightly sour smell of burnt lemons. "Alice" I cried out. How could I have forgotten?

Alice had been my best friend from playschool, until she had got struck down with pneumonia at the young age of four, and passed away.

She turned round and started to smile again, drying her bright blue eyes. Then she stopped, and gave me a puzzled look. "Why are you here" she asked. Suddenly, a horrible thought came into my head. _Maybe I'm dead_, I thought, _and this is heaven_. If it was heaven, I was majorly disappointed. It was just a load of fluffy nothingness. "Umm... I don't know... is this heaven" I asked. Alice giggled. "No, silly" she scolded me, "this is the corner of your mind where I live". I felt a wave of relief. "So... I'm not dead" I asked. Alice dropped to the floor with laughter, and started rolling around. I smiled.

"You always were soooo funny, Georgia" she giggled, "Remember that time when we poured milk on your mummy's head from the staircase". I nodded, and then looked at her, curiously. "Do you know why I've come here now, I mean, why not some time I was asleep". Alice frowned, pondering my question. "Well, I think it only happens when you are in trouble, or when you need to get a vision" she replied. My heart stuttered. "In fact", she continued, "I've got one here". She drew out a small purple crystal, and placed her hand on it. "Well, put your hand on it as well, what's the point of doing it if you don't see it?" she complained, forcing my hand onto the crystal.

Suddenly, I was back on the field, seeing myself in an unconscious sleep near the bush, now a smouldering pile of ash. Alice jumped. "Eww, so this is why your here, what happened" she asked. I sighed, and told her the whole story, editing out the parts that I thought she was too young to hear. But, I reasoned, she had technically been dead for almost the same amount of years I had been alive, so maybe that counted as aging. "So anyway" I said, "what about this vision". She nodded, and then threw the crystal in the air.

All of a sudden, I was in my old kitchen, the one where my mum had lived. I noticed we were in some kind of floating bubble, controlled by Alice. Just then, my mum stormed in, followed closely by dad, pleading at my mum for something: "Mandy, please, don't do this"- he was cut off by my mum. "I have no choice now, why can't we just enjoy our last few months together". There was a wailing noise from the back room. "Look, just forget about this, okay, for the sake of Georgia" my mum pleaded. Dad hesitated, and then gave in, walking out of the room.

The image started to fade away, and suddenly we were back in that weird white world in my mind. Alice smiled. "That was fun" she said, then started laughing madly. I rolled my eyes, too shaken up to say anything.

After a while, Alice stopped laughing, and cuddled up to me. "Have you seen my mummy" she asked, "I made her this". She held out a little cardboard heart, with I Love My Mummy written all over it. I felt myself well up. "You know" I said, "your mummy's going to visit you soon, and you can give it to her then". I had to stop myself crying, so I pictured my dad and Anna and their new baby all happy together. Alice frowned. "But I can't see her because I'm trapped in here all the time" she said, folding her chubby little arms and pouting at the heart. "Maybe I could set you free" I suggested. Alice jumped up, her face beaming with delight. "All you have to do is think of me in a boat, sailing away from your head" she said cheerfully. I nodded, and did what she said. _Ahhh..._ _the power of imagination_, I thought wistfully.

Just then a blue boat appeared, and Alice leapt onto it. "Goodbye" I said. Alice turned round, and suddenly she was my age. "Thanks, Georgia" she said, smiling. Then the boat drifted away, and I started to wake...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 10: I conquer death**

I opened my eyes, taking in the smell of scorched earth. As I looked around, all the memories of last night came flooding back to me. The meteorite. The orb. Jess. "Whoa" I mumbled as I stood up stutterering around like a drunken beggar. Across the field lay the smoking remains of the maths block. Even though I had a million more important things on my mind, like how to get my friend back from that orb, I smiled. At least there was an upside to this whole mess: No maths lessons.

I walked over to the lodge, and passed the pile of rubble that 12 hours ago one of my best friends had received a prize, that she promised to share with me. Hopefully someday- after I rescue Jessica of course- I'd be able to go to Spain, I thought wistfully. It was amazing that I was so sure that I had to go after that orb, and rescue Jess, in the short, unconscious space of 10 hours. The door I had held open the day before to let that herd of children in was now unhinged, the paint peeling off from the heat of yesterdays fire. I carefully opened the door, and it gave a loud groan, and then collapsed to the ground. The sound of wood meeting floor echoed down the hallway. I stepped inside, and let out a shiver. This place looks awful, I thought sadly.

I stumbled down the stairs towards the development chambers. Hopefully they're all still here, if they're alive, I thought miserably. But as I walked down the corridor, I heard nervous laughter and whispering above me. I tried to work out where it came from. Up the stairs, down the corridor, up the other flight of stairs, past the courtyard... I grinned. The dining hall!

I ran all the way there, then burst through the door. A hundred and sixty nine faces all stared at me in horror. The room was so silent you could hear my heavy breathing. Morgan stood up, tears in her eyes. "Well" she began, "she's alive at least, but I'm afraid the fashion police are going to have to hear about this" she beckoned towards me. Only then did I realise the state I was in. My clothes were torn and scorched, and my hair was matted with mud and blood and the wound on my leg was oozing pus. "So the zombie looks not in" I asked with mock disappointment. Morgan grinned.

Suddenly, Autumn stood up, concern written all over her face. "But where's Jess" she asked. The good mood shattered. I turned away, tears in my eyes. "She got taken" I began, my choked up voice cutting through the pause, "but I'll get her back". Morgan slumped back onto her chair, a blank look on her face. Autumn started crying. All of a sudden, Owen burst through the door, "Okay everyone, breakfast is over, please go up to the sink and"- he paused, catching the mood. Then he spotted me, standing at the front of the hall, bleeding and crying. "Georgia" he gasped, then a mask of concern appeared, "but where's Jessica". I tried to tell him, but the school nurse pushed past Owen, and ran over to my side. "No one speaks to the girl until she's had a good hot meal in her, got cleaned up and has received new clothes" she said, softly but firmly guiding me over to the infirmary.

Two hours later, and I was sitting in Owens study, nervously sucking a boiled sweet. "Now" Owen began, looking at me sternly, "I want you to tell me EVERYTHING that happened last night". I took a deep breath, and told him everything, from meeting Finn and Michael, to when Michael collapsed, to the meteorite, the orb [that got a concerned look from Owen] and the dream. "And then I found you all here" I finished. There was a long pause. "Okay" began Owen slowly, "well, thank you for telling me that, now you have to go to your COLA class". I frowned. "A what?"I asked him. He sighed. "Look, Morgan is outside and it's her second time, so she'll tell you" he replied, starting to gather the notes he had been taking throughout my recount of yesterday night. I nodded, and walked out the door.

"So, just to recap" Morgan explained five minute later, "this 'COLA class' is all about the history of us" she pointed to herself. "So, it's about our Mum's" I asked. She nodded, guiding me down a narrow corridor. "Yes, and it's about why we have our powers too- hey" she paused, and studied my face, "are you sure you're well enough". I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm fine, now can we please get to the lesson" I asked as we entered the giant hall.

There were 20-odd COLA'S in there, all chatting nervously. We sat down near the front, next to a dark-haired boy. Morgan saw him and suddenly looked panicked. "Maybe we should move" she whispered to me. I frowned.

"Why" I asked, and then smiled as the boy turned round. Morgan groaned in despair. "You" the boy said, his dark eyes full of hatred. I gave Morgan a confused look. Something hard smacked into my shoulder, and I yelped in pain. The boy and his friends were all laughing at me, and one of them punched my shoulder again. I glared at them. "What have I ever done to you" I asked. Suddenly, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me closer to him. "You" he spat, digging his nails deeper into my flesh, "killed my Jess".

I froze. How could he accuse me of that? All my life I had been accused of things, just because my Mum had died when I was little so people just assumed that I had been brought up incorrectly. Stealing items, bullying, cheating, and lying. You name it; I had been accused of it. But this? Never.

"How can you say that" I asked, trying to ignore the tear-wrenching pain in my arm, "I tried to save her". The boy snorted. "Well, why should we believe you?" He replied, "You said that an **orb** took her. What kind of a cover up is that"? I glared at him. "She never even liked you, she always fancied Scott Bailey" I retorted, then instantly regretted saying his name when I saw the look the dark-haired boy gave his gang. "Anyway" I continued, hoping to make the boy forget about poor Scott, "if you did love her, why didn't you look for her when Morgan announced she was missing, instead of cowering away in the development chambers". The boy roared, and lunged at me.

"Dean Anderson, what are you doing" boomed a voice through the loudspeakers. The boy stopped in mid-lunge, and turned his worried face towards the Head. "I...I" he stuttered, all his cockiness gone. "I shall see you after the lesson" Mrs. Sartre warned, "now, go sit at the back, but first you must apologise to Georgia". Dean turned towards me, his face bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry" he muttered, kicking the floor with his new converse boots. I nodded at him, and he quickly shuffled over to the back.

"Right" Mrs Sartre began, "let's begin". Two boys walked onto the stage, smiling nervously. I stared. One of them was the shapeshifting boy who turned into a fox, and the other looked like one of the teens by the lake, with tufty blonde hair and pale green eyes.

"Umm" began the shapeshifter, "we would like to tell you a bit about ourselves before we begin, I'm Dax and I'm a shapeshifter, and this is Gid and he's a Telle". The boy called Gideon waved at us all, pulling a goofy smile. "Okay" began Dax, "firstly, we are all aware that none of our mums lived past our fourth birthdays, but do you know why?" Nobody answered.

"Because they all came from an alien planets" Gideon replied, "and those planets each had their own powers, and because they wanted earth to become like them, they send down women to mate with intelligent males and have us, COLA'S" Gideon pointed to himself. Dax nodded, "yes, and they only sent down women because they're bodies could survive longer than the males, but after they gave birth their immune systems failed and... in the end they died" Dax's voice caught at the end of his sentence.

I suddenly felt very guilty. My mum sacrificed herself so that she could have me. Tears started to run down my face. "The fathers immunity was passed down to the child and ta-da, you've got yourself a COLA" Gideon continued. "We still don't know why the COLA project suddenly ended up with sixty nine more COLA'S five years after the first hundred, but the theory is that the planets wanted to reinforce the COLA population" Dax finished.

"How did the COLA club find out about this" I asked Morgan as we were walking up to our dormitory. "Dax-the boy with dark hair-and another boy went up a mountain, where they actually travelled to one of the 'alien planets'" she replied. I gasped at her. How cool is that, I thought. I opened the door, and we walked over to the sofa. Autumn was sitting on the floor looking out of the window. "What's the matter" I asked, even though I already knew her answer. "I'm just so worried about Jess"Autumn replied, "I mean, who knows what, that ORB was? It could be anything".

I stood up, and walked over to the window. "Don't worry" I said, pressing my face against the cool glass, "I'm going to get her back". Finally telling someone liberated me from the huge weight that was on my shoulders. I heard Morgan splutter behind me. "But you don't know where Jess or The Orb is, and besides it's too dangerous" Autumn warned. I turned around to face them.

"I know" I began, "but I have to get her back". Then I turned back to the window, and watched the rain fall down the glass like teardrops.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Planning**

The next few days followed as planned. "Are you coming to the match tomorrow" Finn asked me after his football practice. I shrugged, not wanting to say no in case he was actually asking me out and I hurt his feelings. I always get the signals messed up. "Okay" he grinned, sliding out of the hall "see you around". After he had left, I walked up to my dorm and took my coat off. Then I bent down to get something from under my bed. Suddenly I screamed. My hand had touched something rough. I pulled it out, and realised that it was my clothes from the 'meteorite day', as everyone calls it. The nurse must have given them to Morgan, I thought, eyeing the ever growing pile of clothes under her bed. Just as I was taking them over to the laundry room, something fell out of the pocket. I bent over and picked it up.

It was a strange gold sphere that shone as I lifted it. It feels like silk, I thought. But when I pressed it, I was surprised to find it was as hard as steel. Then I remembered. It was that thing that fell beside me before I blacked out, after The Orb had taken Jess. Just then Morgan came in, and spotted the gold sphere. "What's that" she asked, kneeling down beside me. I shrugged. "Just something Owen gave to me" I lied, guilt seething through me. I wanted to tell Morgan, but somehow I knew I should keep it a secret for a while, just until I worked out what it was. Morgan gave a low whistle.

"Owen gave you that" she gaped, "the only thing he ever gave me was a C- on my woodwork test". I laughed, quickly slipping the sphere into my bedside drawer. "Let's get down to lunch, it's the Tuesday roast and I'm starving" I suggested, dumping the clothes into the laundry basket.

After the roast Me, Autumn, Michael, Finn and Morgan all went down to the Library. "Is it true" Michael asked me, "are you really going to get Jess back"? I nodded, rummaging around a bookcase, and trying to find the book on castles for my history homework. "Well, then me and Finn are coming too" Michael announced, "we've already agreed".

I spun around, and fixed the two boys with the most menacing stare I could. "You" I stated, "are not coming. It's far too dangerous". Finn snorted. "Oh whatever" he scoffed, "I've survived a meteorite". I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, but you fainted during the process" I replied. Then, just before Finn could say something back, Morgan and Autumn appeared. "Hey, what are you guys arguing about" Morgan asked. Before I could reply, Michael told her. "Finn and I are helping her save Jess". I scowled at him for lying.

Morgan gaped at me. "Well, if they're going, we are too" she announced. I groaned, banging my head against the bookcase. "No, no, no" I growled, "can't you see this isn't a holiday? This is real danger, and I won't ever forgive myself if any of you die". Autumn stepped towards me and gave me a warm hug. "Well, it's our choice" she reminded me, "and if we do die, you just keep telling yourself that there was nothing you could do". I froze. Autumn. Little Autumn, going AWOL and facing unknown danger. I couldn't breathe. But when I saw her face, I knew she wouldn't give in.

"Fair enough" I finally said, "but you have to promise that if you see any danger, you will go back home" then I paused, and stared at Morgan, "all of you". Then they bowed their heads and reluctantly agreed. "Right" I began, handing out some leftover sweets from my pocket, "let's have a look at the plan". Then I told them we had to get out of the country. "Why do we have to go out of the country" asked Finn. I sighed. "Look" I began, "I had a dream last night that told me that we had to go to the arctic, well actually to the North of Canada". Morgan coughed, choking on one of her sweets.

"Canada" she exclaimed, "How the hell are we going to get there? We will have enough trouble getting out of the lodge, let alone getting on an aeroplane, which reminds me, THE GOVERMENT HAS OUR PASSPORTS". I looked calmly at her, and then replied, "I will think of something". Before Morgan could say anything back Autumn spoke up. "Well, Dean could help". Now it was my time to protest. "What" I cried, "Dean hates me -though the feeling is mutual- and anyway, how could he help". Autumn smiled. "He's a hypnotist; he could easily make the guards give us our passports". I looked up and stopped my muttering. "COLA'S don't have that power" I stated.

"Well actually, a couple COLA'S from 'our batch' have the power to hypnotise but no-one at all from the older COLA'S has it" Michael interrupted. I shook my head, clearing it from these confusing thoughts. "Okay" began Morgan, "well let's assume that Dean did help us -without you murdering him first- then what would happen? How would we get out of Fenton Lodge". I showed them a map. "You see here" I said, pointing to the lake, "there is going to be a BBQ this Saturday held there, and all the guards are invited" I ended this comment by giving everyone a smug stare. "And what does that mean" Finn interrupted. I sighed loudly.

"It means" I explained, "that there won't be anyone to stop us sneaking out". A mask of realisation washed over Finns face. "Okay" I began, "so during the BBQ we'll all say that we need to 'go', but at separate times so we don't arouse any suspicion". Everyone nodded, taking it in so far. "Then we all use the mini phones- that Michael made in science- and meet up at the gate, where we all sneak away" I ended. "Well, when you put it like that it all sounds so simple" Michael said, "but your forgetting one thing. I'm pretty sure that we won't have enough money to even get one of us there, let alone all of us, and what about food, hotels, and other important stuff".

I paused. Maybe we could travel there on our own; we could catch our own food, make our own boat and buy a little tent to sleep in. Or we could stowaway on a ship. In fact, the more I thought of it, I realised that this was probably the safest and quickest way of getting there. I told them my idea.

"Stowaways" Finn gaped, his eyes gleaming, "this is starting to sound a lot like a Hollywood movie". We all laughed, and the serious mood was broken. "So" I concluded, "We have four days to stock up, panic like hell and relax until we leave for Canada". Suddenly we saw Owen Hind come into the library. "Quick" Autumn said franticly, "act normal". I was in such an adrenaline rush that I tripped over the side of the bookcase, and landed on top of Finn, knocking us both onto the couch. Then I heard Owen politely cough behind me. "Well, I don't mean to interrupt...err...whatever you're doing, but it's time for tea". I could feel my ears turning bright red as I climbed of poor Finn. As soon as Owen went, Morgan burst out laughing.

"Not funny" I muttered darkly, watching Morgan roll about on the other couch, laughing so hard she was crying. I glanced over at Finn. His face was so red that you could have mistaken it for a tomato. "I'm sorry" I whispered to him. He just waved his hand dismissively. "It wasn't your fault" he said, and then one of his usual mischievous twinkles appeared in his eye, "it was the bookcase's fault. Burn the bookcase!" He ran over to the bookcase and pretended to burn it. I laughed, my embarrassment starting to fade. Morgan stopped laughing, and started wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You should have seen Owen's face" she shrieked, "It was a mixture of embarrassment, disbelief and mirth". I glared at her. "Hardly helping, Morgan" I warned. She let out another shriek. "He seriously thought you guys were snogging" then she went into hysterics again. Autumn went over to me, "It doesn't matter" she soothed, "anyway, we should be making our way over to the dining hall, and I hear that the main course is macaroni cheese". Michael made a disgusted noise. "Suit yourself" muttered Autumn.

We very rarely thought about anything else except the 'Great Escape' for the next four days. Unfortunately, asking Dean to help resulted in a lot of sacrifices. "Now" he smirked, "before I even consider it, you must bow down and tell me how I am -and always will be- right" I managed to resist the urge to stuff Dean's stupid face down the toilet, and grudgingly did as he said. "Also" he continued, "you have to give me all your COLA money for the next five months". This almost made me explode with anger, but I muttered my agreement. Dean looked down at me. "See, it wasn't so hard" he scolded, "and you're lucky I'm so kind to you". I stood up, ignoring the comments he had just made. "So, meet us in the library at 3:25 after school today, and we'll give you our instructions" I told him. He just nodded, quite unfazed. I have to give it to him, he may have been stuck up and just plain nasty, but he was pretty brave. Just a little. Not much.

He had the passports just within half an hour, and I gave him his first payment, trying to avoid his smug grin. Then I went upstairs, and started to plan what I should bring. For some reason, I knew I had to bring the orb.

It felt like it was telling me to.


	11. Chapter 11

"Finn, I know I should know this already, but what animal do you shapeshift into" I asked as we were walking to breakfast. Finn stopped. "Why don't I show you" he suggested. Before I could reply, there was a weird shimmer in the air -like you get during a heat wave- and Finn had suddenly vanished, and in his place was a strange, white, weasel like creature. It was as long as a border terrier, and had a pointed snout that ended with a cute pink nose and quivering whiskers. As it moved, its muscles rippled across its body, and its green eyes had the same mischievous glint as Finn's had. It took me a while to convince myself that this really was Finn, and not just an illusion.

After a few seconds in that form he changed back to himself. "Wow" I said to him. He smiled a thanks at me. "What was that" I asked him. "Well" he began, "it's an American mink, but for some reason I'm a lot bigger than the ones you would see in the wild". I was about to ask another question, but just then we arrived at the dining hall and Michael dragged Finn away. I went over to the cereal cart, eyeing up the homemade muesli. There was no need to rush because even though it was a Friday it was a bank holiday, so I could eat for as long as I wanted to. Suddenly Dax, the tall, dark haired boy and his friend Gideon came over to me. "Hi" said Dax. I looked around, utterly confused. Why was he randomly introducing himself to me?

"Hi" I said uncertainly. Dax sighed. "Okay" he began, "let's just get to the point. Lisa told us that you were planning to go AWOL, and because I've done it before, I'm here to give you advice". Then Gideon spoke up, "Yeah, we're masters of avoiding detection; we once went so far as to convince the government –and unfortunately my dad- that I had jumped out the window of a three story building". I just stood there, intrigued and annoyed. Why did they care what I was doing? Also, wasn't that blonde girl who got annoyed by spirits -and who also freaked me out on my first day- called Lisa? "Why do you care" I finally asked them. "Why shouldn't we, we're all COLA'S" he replied, and then started again, "Just make sure you have medical supplies, lots of food, shelter and this book". He handed me a torn 'wilderness survival' book. "It helped me" he said, walking away, "and it will help you".

"So what was all of that about" asked Morgan as we sat down to eat our breakfast. "Oh, Dax just gave me this book to help us 'survive' or something. Apparently he's gone AWOL before, and this was the book he used" I said. Morgan shrugged, and just continued stuffing her face. I had just reached over for the salt, when it felt like something had hit the side of my head. A sharp throb of pain ran through me, and suddenly I couldn't feel my legs, or my arms, or my head. I was vaguely aware of me falling to the ground, and Morgan bending over me, her expression frantic. Suddenly, a huge burning sensation ran down through my wrist and towards my heart. I wanted to scream. I wanted to thrash and kick at anything that moved. But I was paralysed, held in the grasp of this pain like a puppet with its master.

All of a sudden, there was a woman in front of me. She was dressed in white, and her face seemed to radiate warmth and kindness. Mum, I tried to say, but I was too weak. "It's okay darling" she said, coming towards me, "I'll make it better" she kissed my head and gave me a warm hug. She smells of pine needles, I thought to myself. But then she began to vanish. I tried to scream at her to stay, but I began to feel sleepy. Soooo sleepy...

When I opened my eyes, the pain had ended. I could feel my legs. I could feel my arms. I could feel my head. But I couldn't see my mum. Then I realised that I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and tears were running down my face. I quickly tried to calm myself, because Morgan was about to tell the nurse. "I'm fine" I quickly reassured her. Morgan looked at me doubtfully, "I don't call collapsing for no reason, being unconscious for about a minute, and then randomly start crying fine" she replied, "anyway, what was with that? One minute you're stuffing your face and then the next...Kabloey" she threw her hands up to mimic an explosion. I told her what I'd seen and she stared at me in wonder. "It must have been one of your 'visions' Mrs. Sartre was talking about" she said. "Maybe" I shrugged.

The next day Michael, Finn, Autumn, Morgan and I all ate our breakfast nervously, and Finn was so nervous he choked on his sausage. "Right" I said later as we joined the excited crowd, all heading towards the BBQ, "Just act normal; remember Mrs. Dan can smell fear". I handed out the mini phones.

It was only then I took in my surroundings. There were lots of different stands, hot dog stands, burger stands, chicken stands- you name it, we had it. There were groups of COLA'S dancing to the 80's music, and even the teachers were pulling shapes. Just then I turned back to the others.

"When we call you, ask someone to go to the toilet, but remember" Michael cracked a crazy grin, "have fun". Morgan gave a snort of laughter. "Oh yeah, fun" she muttered, walking to the hot dog stand. I just hung around with Michael, tense with nerves. Just before midway through the BBQ, I whispered to Michael: "I think we should start phoning". He nodded, secretly dialling Morgan's number, and told me to dial Finn's. Then a few minutes later, I dialled Autumn's. "I think we should go now" I told Michael.

We asked one of the teachers, and two minutes later we were with the others. "Now I know this sounds stupid" I said, embarrassed, "but make sure you go to the toilet, because I'm not sure when our next chance will be". Surprisingly no-one laughed. I guess they were all too nervous. I was.

We snuck out round the back, and finally got to the gate. I looked around, and then froze. There was a guard, armed with a gun. "I hope it's not loaded" whispered Finn, and I realised that he was looking at the exact same thing as I was. "I've got it" I whispered to the others. I took a deep breath, and then stared at the gun.

A small click rang through the dark metal. The guard looked around, confused. "I've just disabled the gun, and now it's time for the guard" I whispered to Morgan. She gave me the thumbs up sign, and then told Autumn the news. I turned back to the guard, and concentrated on a little pebble. It wobbled a bit. Suddenly, there was a tiny clang, and the guard slumped to the ground, unconscious. I walked passed him, and gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry" I apologised.

We had just got through the gate, and had just started to relax, when shouts of alarm rang out from inside the guard's tower: "There's a man down, I repeat, a man down". Cold feelings of terror ran down my spine, and from the looks the others were giving me, they were feeling the same way.

"What should we do" Morgan whispered to me, just as the guards started to pour towards the gate. Suddenly, the gate swung open, and hundreds of guards spilled out. "How about run!" I yelled, as we scampered towards a row of blackberry bushes, shadowed by a dense forest. One of the guards spotted us, and fired a dart straight at my leg. I dived sideways, but the dart still managed to nick my thigh. I didn't have time to stop and tend to my wound, because all the guards were starting to fire at us. Hundreds of tiny missiles flew through the air, but I was pretty sure that they had all missed. I dived into the bushes, closely followed by the others. Michael beckoned silently for us to crawl towards the forest, hidden by the heaps of bushes. We all followed him. But just as we were halfway, a helicopter passed overhead. We weren't under cover from any trees, shrubs or buildings; and even though we had bushes all around us, from the air, we were easy targets. "Uh-oh, we're dead" whispered Finn, trying not to draw attention to us. "I'll try to find an exit" I whispered back. The helicopters got closer.

I looked around franticly, trying to find an exit. There were none. I started to panic. I couldn't go back to the lodge, even though it was great. I just couldn't face Owen. He would be so disappointed in me. I couldn't stand making someone disappointed, because I liked people to look up to me, and to like my company. So I couldn't get caught. I had to get Jess back. I'd promised that I would. And I don't break promises. The Helicopter got closer. We all closed our eyes, waiting for the sharp sting of the darts.

Suddenly, the Orb started to vibrate in my pocket. I took it out, completely forgetting that I hadn't told Morgan about it. Then Morgan spotted it. "You said that was from Owen" she accused. I turned round. "I just couldn't tell you, I thought that"- Morgan cut me off with a hard stare. "You thought what" she hissed, "that I'd freak out? Are there any more secrets that you'd like to share with us?" Before I could answer, Autumn stepped in. "I don't think it's really the time for arguments" she stated. Morgan agreed. Just then, the Orb shot out of my hand, and fell to the floor. Then it started to hum a sad tune, one that made me think of all the people who have died in wars. From the looks on everyone else's faces, they were thinking the same. Then suddenly, we started falling. And then there was nothing.


End file.
